Bios

Paulinho da Viola

An icon of elegance and originality, Paulo Cesar Batista de Faria, more commonly known as
Paulinho da Viola, was born on November 12, 1942, in the Botafogo neighborhood of Rio de
Janeiro. Singer, composer, guitarist, and cavaquinho player, his initiation into Brazilian
music came about primarily through his father, Cesar Faria, who was a seven-string guitar
player in the highly respected choro group Época de Ouro. It was through choro-a musical
genre characterized by virtuosity and improvisation, and based on such rhythms as maxixe,
samba, polka, and waltz-that da Viola blossomed as an artist, due largely to his
interaction and apprenticeship with Brazilian musical legends Pixinguinha and Jacob do
Bandolim. Though a practitioner of choro music, da Viola is also a member of the Portela
Samba School and is one of the cardinal references of samba music in contemporary Brazilian
society. He is known for his collaborations with top samba composers, including Cartola,
Elton Medeiros, and Candeia. With more than 26 albums released since 1965, da Viola has
also been featured in documentaries like Leon Hirszman's Partido alto (1982)
and Izabel Jaguaribe's Meu tempo é hoje (2003). His artistic expression of
sentimentality and humanity transcends barriers of time and place.

It is also a clear, succinct explanation of his philosophy
regarding tradition and change. "A memory is not something that
must be kept prisoner of a distant notion of the past, but a way to
keep present values and events that happened in another time," he
elaborates in an interview. "It's not some nostalgic notion. I have
no desire of going back or reviving something that happened a long
time ago. But I want to keep elements alive that have contributed
to making us who we are, that have set our path."

He was born Paulo Cesar Batista de Faria in Botafogo, a traditional
neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. His father, guitarist Benedicto
Cesar Ramos de Faria, was a member of Época de Ouro—considered by
many to be the greatest choro ensemble in history. Not
surprisingly, as a budding guitarist and future master sambista, da
Viola grew up alongside several of the greatest musicians of his
time, including guitar virtuoso Jacob do Bandolim.

His memories harken back to some of the most creative playing and
writing in popular music history. But still, da Viola believes that
tradition is a living thing that is kept alive by change. "A
tradition is preserved by the people as long as it has a place in
the universe in which it was created," he says. "Otherwise, it's a
job for historians and the curious. The tradition of samba is alive
today because it continues to express the feelings of our people.
But change in samba is inevitable, as it is for any living form of
expression."

In fact, da Viola himself has (from time to time) strayed from
samba; he notes that he has mixed other styles into his
compositions, and that songs such as "Sinal fechado" and "Roendo as
unhas" are "not properly sambas." But he also remarks that beyond a
certain syncopation and a binary time, "there are no rules or set
models, but everybody recognizes the samba by its rhythm." And
ultimately, what remains at its essence is a certain spirit.

"Initially, samba might seem like the manifestation of a
superficial happiness—a simple enthusiasm, but samba is not only
that," da Viola explains. "Samba deals with suffering, loss, and
also the pleasures of life, but does it in a unique manner, a
comforting way that is often lyrical, that makes us feel better
about life's challenges. That is what I want to communicate with my
music."

—Fernando González is an independent music writer and critic whose
work appears regularly in The Miami Herald,
JazzTimes, and The International Review of
Music.

Special thanks to João Rabello for his invaluable assistance with
this interview.